


Inside My Head

by TakaiTotem



Category: Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Canon Divergence - Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), Dark Peter, Gen, Infinity Gauntlet, Infinity Gems
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-04
Updated: 2019-01-27
Packaged: 2019-07-06 03:25:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 3,764
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15877527
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TakaiTotem/pseuds/TakaiTotem
Summary: Peter didn't speak for a few beats."You're not real. You're just in my head." he mumbled."You can do anything."Peter hiccuped and closed his eyes."I just wanna go home.""They will face our wrath. The Mad Titan was only the beginning. You can rid your world- your universe- of all evil."~~~~~It's the end of the battle and everyone is out of time. Peter, in a last-ditch effort to save half of the universe, uses the Infinity Gauntlet.With great power comes...?





	1. Infinity War

Peter panted as the Iron Spider's legs dug into the ground, trying to keep him steady while he, Strange, and the Guardians kept the Mad Titan at bay. In his peripheral vision, he could see Mr. Stark, struggling to rip the Infinity Gauntlet off of Thanos' arm.

"Parker, help me!" Stark choked out.

The vigilante quickly swung to his mentor's side and grasped the edge of the glove, tugging with all of his might. He barely registered anything else that the older hero had to say, nor the gradual anger that was building up within the Space-y Peter.

Peter gritted his teeth once Stark let go of the Gauntlet. His mentor was trying to keep the Celestial-Human hybrid from acting on his grief. His mentor was trying to stop Quill from dooming half of the universe.

If Mr. Stark could sacrifice himself constantly for over ten years, then Peter could get the Gauntlet off. He could do it. He had to, for the fate of the universe.

"It's coming off, it's coming off, it's coming off!" Peter incessantly muttered as he willed his muscles to pull even harder. Once he felt Thanos' fingers uncurl from the Gauntlet, his eyes glimmered with hope. "I got it, I got it, I got it!"

Then, Quill struck and Mantis' hands momentarily slipped from Thanos' temples.

As the Titan's pupils returned to normal, he quickly tried to close his fist, only to see that the Infinity Gauntlet was nowhere to be seen. Roaring, Thanos flailed his body and knocked the spider boy back hard, forcing the Avengers and Guardians back onto the offensive.

Peter groaned as the back of his head slammed against a boulder. Stars were dancing around his vision. He could barely register what was going on.

Tony's voice rang out.

"You touch my kid again and I'm gonna lose it."

Peter looked up, seeing the billionaire in a standoff with the Titan. From his rigid posture, the boy could see that his mentor was seething.

"Stark..." growled the Titan.

Tony's head tilted slightly.

"You know me?"

"I do," Thanos nodded, a fain scowl tugging at his mouth. "You're not the only one _cursed_ with knowledge."

Peter held his breath.

"My only curse is you." the billionaire declared, deploying his nanotech missiles from the rounds in his back.

The fight was on. Peter rolled onto his side and struggled to pick himself up, the strain on his body finally overpowering the adrenaline coursing through his veins.

He needed to help Tony.

Suddenly, his eyes spotted the Infinity Gauntlet, discarded on the far side of the battlefield. He looked back to see half of Tony's face exposed. The Iron Man suit had run out of nanomachines.

The billionaire was on his swan song.

Even though his arms were heavy and his legs burnt like fire, Peter rose up and shot a strand of web at the Gauntlet. He pulled it over to himself and, after a moment's hesitation, slid the Gauntlet onto his arm.

It was large and clunky at first. Then, once he had it on, it glowed with the colors of all of the Stones, fastening itself around the forearm of its new wielder.

When Peter looked back, he saw Tony with most of his suit destroyed, struggling to hold the Mad Titan back. He shifted his nanomachines from his torso to his arm and materialized a sword.

Peter's eyes widened once he watched the Titan squeeze his mentor's exposed arm. As the boy clenched his fist, the Infinity Stones glowed dangerously.

* * *

 

Tony staggered back in shock, feeling his own nanotech sword pierce through his gut and tear through his back. He wished he had the strength to swat away the giant hand that held his head an a mocking cradle.

He was going to die.

A pained groan left his lips as he looked Thanos dead in the eyes.

"You have my respect, Stark," whispered his greatest fear. The Titan looked... saddened, yet amused. With false reassurance, he continued, "When I'm done, half of humanity will still be alive."

The billionaire shifted to a kneeling position as a metallic taste bubbled in his throat.

Thanos harshly ripped the titanium sword out of Tony's side.

Tony's breath hitched seeing Thanos hold the weapon dangerously close to his neck.

"I hope they remember you." the Titan said as he reeled back the sword.

Tony shut his eyes, waiting for the end that never came.

The billionaire cracked open one eye as a burst of violet blasted Thanos away. Bewildered, Tony looked back to see his protege, tired and worn but also _pissed_.

He never imagined that a child could look so hateful, much less  _his kid_.

Normally, Tony would've been relieved to see the kid safe and sound, but something about Peter was just... off. There was something wrong with him, with the way he talked and walked.

It was Peter, but it wasn't his Peter.

Behind him, Tony heard Thanos with the slightest hint of fear in his voice.

"The child is wielding all of the Infinity Stones..." the Titan breathed.

Indeed, the Infinity Gauntlet rested on the boy's arm. The Stones were pulsing erratically.

So were Peter's eyes.

As Strange flew over to help Tony up, Peter advanced on the Mad Titan.

The billionaire was more focused on his protege than anything else. He couldn't predict what the boy's intentions were beneath that deathly calm glare.

But Thanos could.

"I know what you're thinking of doing," the Titan began pitifully, raising a hand to create some sort of barrier between himself and the child. "You'd be a fool-"

The boy grabbed Thanos' neck with his gloved hand and began to squeeze slowly. The Stones shined brighter than the suns on Earth and Titan combined.

"So what? You just don't wanna go."

In a bright flash of light, all Tony could see was the purple blood of the Mad Titan's head. Then, nothing.

 


	2. All-New, All-Different

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shit, it has been a while.

Peter stared at the scene before him with dull, empty eyes.

Sprawled out on the sand in front of him was Thanos, the Mad Titan. His head hung loosely from the strand of skin that used to be his neck. His face was frozen in a state of terrified agony. A deep red and purple puddle was slowly pooling around Peter's feet.

The boy simply grasped the Mad Titan's head and  _pulled._

With a satisfying crack and a pop, the leftover tendons finally broke and the boy held his prize in his Gauntlet-clad hand. The slick, red armor seemed to stand out against the stains of the Mad Titan's blood.

Peter's nose crinkled in disgust. He quickly discarded the alien's remains and looked at his new Gauntlet in stunned silence. The Stones twinkled beautifully.

Then, the boy grinned.

* * *

 

When he came to, the first thing Tony could hear was the worried cries of his allies.

Weak, shaky hands wrapped around his exposed shoulders. The Avenger braced himself as he was hoisted up to his feet by Doctor Stephen Strange.

The doctor's expression was grim. His eyes were locked on Tony's nanite arc reactor, as if he was in deep thought. His brow was furrowed. He looked alarmed. Scared, even.

Stephen Strange was scared? Now that's a tongue twister.

"Now is  _not_ the time for quips, Stark." the doctor groaned.

Shit. Was he thinking out loud?

"Yes, you are. Stay with us."

Tony focused his gaze on the sorcerer and the Guardians beside them. They were all in a state of panic, to varying degrees. Mantis watched their captain with her big, imploringly wide eyes, as if she was silently begging him for guidance in their time of need.

From the look on Quill's face, she probably was. The leader of the Guardians looked lost and frustrated. However, he too looked worried.

Meanwhile, the strongman of the Guardians was stoic. For once, he had no emotional impulses. No dimwitted remarks.

For once, the jokes were gone. The only thing left was a band of misfits and heroes.

"Peter," Tony mumbled. Quill tilted his head until the billionaire clarified, "Not you. Spidey. The  _kid._ "

Silence hung in the air until Strange spoke up.

"Gone. Most likely still on Titan."

Tony's head whipped around. They were in Wakanda. They were on  _Earth_.

"The kid poofed us back to Earth while he stayed behind to finish the job." the billionaire deduced, eyes widening.

Tony quickly tapped his arc reactor and willed it to form a helmet over his head with the leftover nanomachines.

"FRI, I want a reading of Peter Parker's vitals. I want the latest blueprints to condensed space shuttles. I want-"

The billionaire stopped dead in his tracks when he caught sight of a beaten Steve Rogers, followed by his group of New Avengers, the Hulkbuster, and the Black Panther.

"Tony." the wandering Nomad whispered hoarsely.

Tony swallowed the lump in his throat, finally having that reunion that he had been dreading for so long.

”Cap.”


	3. Uncanny

Tony rested his head in his hands as the Avengers and Guardians argued around him.

"The kid is a threat to the entire universe."

He was just trying to tune them out.

"The kid is a  _kid._ "

The billionaire's fists balled up.

"The kid could just blink and we'd all be dead."

"The kid-"

"Oh my god, will you all just _shut up!_ " the billionaire yelled.

The room fell silent at this as Tony shot up, glaring daggers at each and every one of the heroes.

"'The kid' has a name. It's Peter. Peter Parker, the boy who was bitten by a radioactive spider. The son of Richard and Mary Parker. The child who watched his uncle die in an armed burglary." Tony's voice cracked as he looked down at his right arm and the repulsor that covered it.

That stupid, heroic, young man who defeated Adrian Toomes. That naive, brave little boy who stared down that Hammer drone at the 2010 Stark Expo.

"Spider-Man. He is the Amazing Spider-Man. And you all are treating him like an impressionable child who can't be reasoned with." the billionaire pointed an accusatory finger at his allies, ignoring the eye rolls and the pitying stares that he was receiving.

The only one who wasn't looking at him like he was crazy?

Rogers.

Taking a moment to think over his choice of words, the captain stepped forward and leveled the billionaire with a hard stare.

"Tony, you've mentored the," Steve caught himself before the word slipped out, "Spider-Man, for a little over two years. You know him better than any of us. How far gone is he with the power of the Gauntlet?"

If this were a normal Avengers mission, Tony would've made a snarky comment about the captain taking orders from  _him,_ but he couldn't. Not when his kid's life was on the line.

"I don't know, Rogers. Honestly," Tony sighed and turned away from the group to watch the window. "I've never seen him so... hateful. He's a child, Cap. Not even old enough to drink. And he- he ripped someone's head off without batting an eye."

"We've all killed before. What makes this time any different?" Sam asked, making Tony scoff.

"Spider-Man doesn't kill. Hell, he's  _saved_ his baddies from certain death." Natasha remarked.

"The Gauntlet has corrupted the child."

Everyone froze and turned to see a battle-scarred Thor, panting heavily and leaning on two Wakandan warriors for support. The God of Thunder shrugged the Dora Milaje's hands off and limped to the team, using his axe as a walking stick.

"There is a reason Thanos was the first to seek out all of the Infinity Stones," the god continued with a gruff voice. "It is the very same reason that only I can wield Stormbreaker. On mere mortals, the sheer power of the Stones could destroy souls and shatter minds."

"But people can come back from the brink of insanity." Barnes said as he stood at Steve's side, sharing an intense look with the captain that almost made Tony gag.

"However, most do not." King T'Challa spoke this time.

Suddenly, Wanda stood and met Tony's gaze with an impressive glare, fingers tainted with her scarlet magic.

"Stark, I know what it feels like to lose a loved one. Remember, I lost my parents and my brother because of you," the little witch paused as she felt the Vision grab her hand in a loving grip. The woman sighed and the glowing of her palms ceased. "If the boy is too far gone, if he even thinks about threatening Vis for the Mind Stone, I won't hesitate to put the boy down."

Turning on her heels, the witch took Vision and walked out of the room.

Tony bit the inside of his cheek, avoiding the pitying eyes all around him.

* * *

 

 _"With great power comes great responsibility."_ _Uncle Ben told him as the neared the front lawn of Midtown Tech._

_It was a little after the Oscorp trip. Peter had been out of school for almost a week and, while Ned was insistent of delivering Peter's homework everyday, the newly-gifted mutate could only do so much while he was cooped up in an apartment and having his DNA twisted and mangled with that of a spider's._

_For a second, Peter thought Ben had figured everything out._

_"Look at me, Pete. I can't stand by while out there, somewhere, someone is crying for help," Ben paused and gave Peter the fatherly smile that he'd so desperately been missing. "When you can do the things that I can, and you don't, and then the bad things happen, they happen because of you. Do you see what I'm saying?"_

_Peter's mouth fell open in shock and he struggled to find his voice, even as they came to a stop._

_"I mean, you're gonna be one of the greatest minds of this century!"_

_The boy gasped in relief._

_"You okay, Pete?" the man asked._

_"Yeah, yeah. I'm good. Thanks, Uncle Ben." Peter simply nodded and grabbed his bag._


	4. Fear Itself

_Tony awoke to the stench of burning flesh._

_With a gasp, the billionaire shot up from his fetal position. He was bare and unprotected. The Mark LXXXV armor was already shredded down to nothing. All that remained was his arc reactor, which had run out of nanites._

_Around him, Tony only could see was chaos. Smoke clouded his vision and his eyes were burning with tears. Citizens were running in a state of panic. Women and children were screaming in pure agony. Sirens were ablaze everywhere, but Tony could do nothing. Only watch._

_Suddenly, a sharp cry of pain rang through the air. In his desperation, the billionaire tapped on his arc reactor and, miraculously, it conjured up enough nanites for a gauntlet and a set of wings. Tony pushed himself to his feet and zipped through the battlefield._

_What he was met with was the sight of Pepper Stark-Potts, dangled from her throat by an Uru-clad fist. Below her was a crying infant, face straining from the lack of breathable air. The woman met eyes with her fiance and increased her struggles tenfold._

_The fist that held her neck suddenly clenched and a crack resonated in Tony's ears._

_Pepper's eyes turned red. Blood dribbled from the corners of her perfect lips and Tony had to bite back the wail that threatened to tear him apart._

_Then, the Infinity Gauntlet reached down to grab Baby Morgan and Stark snapped out of his shock. He willed his armor to form a sword and he pushed it through his target's gut, twisting the blade ferociously._

_The Gauntlet disappeared into dust and left behind a weak and vulnerable Peter Parker._

_The child's eyes were wide and darted back and forth from Stark to the blade. The mentor pulled his sword out of his protege's frail body and watched as the Iron Spider tried (and failed) to save its wearer. The boy, meanwhile, staggered forward and grabbed his mentor in a desperate hug._

_The regret and fear was all over his face._

_"Mr. Stark, I don't feel so good..." Peter choked. Once Stark laid him down, the boy became more frantic. "I don't wanna go. I don't wanna go. I don't wanna go, Mr. Stark, please."_

_As the baby cried in the background, all Tony could do was run a trembling hand through Peter's hair._

_"I don't wanna go. I don't wanna go."_

_..._

_"I'm sorry."_

_Tony scr_ eamed Peter's name until his voice was raw. His chest felt heavy and he couldn't breathe.

He couldn't breathe.

The warm arms of his loving fiancee held him as he broke down, heart thumping at an alarming speed. She soothingly rubbed circles into his back as he cried for the boy that he mentored; for the son he never knew he had.

He cried until the sun rose and when he was done, he laid there while Pepper whispered comforting words into his ear.

"He'll be okay, Tony. It'll be okay."

* * *

 

Peter sighed as the illusion of Uncle Ben disappeared in a puff of smoke, along with the bang of a gunshot. The boy shut his eyes as the memories of that night replayed in his mind again and again.

"Make it stop," Peter sobbed, covering his ears as the gunshots continued. "Please, make it stop."

Voices began to speak now. Some lulled him into a sense of security while others threatened him with the promises of annihilation.

Then, that night. That fucking night.

**_"With great power comes great responsibility."_ **

"Stop it..." The boy curled into a ball as he smacked his head, begging the voices to stop.

**_"A hundred bucks? But the ad said three hundred!"_ **

"SHUT UP!" He was pulling at his brown curls now.

**_"THAT'S MY UNCLE! LET ME THROUGH!"_ **

"GET OUT OF MY HEAD!" The child roared, clenching his fist.

The Gauntlet responded accordingly and everything stopped. Everything except the damned whispers.

**_"You are a god now, Peter Parker."_ **

Peter didn't speak for a few beats.

"You're not real. You're just in my head." he mumbled.

_**"You can do anything."** _

Peter hiccuped and closed his eyes.

"I just wanna go home."

_**"They will face our wrath. The Mad Titan was only the beginning. You can rid your world- your universe- of all evil."** _

Peter let out a shuddering breath.

"I really could."

_**"A new universe, Peter. A perfect universe. All with just a snap."** _

Peter stopped talking and simply nodded in agreement.

_**"All you need is the Mind Stone."** _

"The Mind Stone..." Peter agreed, staring at what remained of the Mad Titan.

The Mind Stone was on Earth, lodged snugly into the Vision's head. If he could get it out, he could save the universe.

**_"If the machine perishes, you could simply create a new one. Or you could just wish for him back."_ **

He just needed the Mind Stone.

_**"You hold all the power in the universe. And remember what Uncle Ben used to say?"** _

Peter stood up and wiped his tears. His eyes were glowing once more, as were his veins.

"With great power comes great responsibility." the boy declared, determined. He looked up at the two moons that remained in Titan's orbit and he clenched his fist.


	5. Absolute Vision

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been stuck on this chapter for ages. AGES.

Wanda choked back a gasp as she felt the cool burn of the antiseptic against her bloody gash. Hovering before her, Vision tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and smiled apologetically.

It was only the day after the great Infinity War and resources were scarce. The royal family's first-aid team was spread so thinly across the nation, tending to the needs of every tribe that supported the Avengers in their battle against Thanos' army. Thankfully, this proved to be a minor inconvenience thanks to the combined medical knowledge of two war veterans and one Dr. Stephen Strange.

Unsurprisingly, Vision insisted that he should tend to Wanda's injuries himself. No one argued, partially because of the not-so-secret intimacy the two shared and partially because nobody dared to oppose one of the strongest Avengers. In more ways than she wanted to admit, Wanda appreciated the displays of concern and comfort from her lover.

The only other person who cared for her that much? He was currently six feet under.

Wanda did not blame Vision. The android had no say in his creation whatsoever. Not from J.A.R.V.I.S. or even Ultron.

Instead, the little witch blamed Stark for the death of her twin. Stark, who, more often than not, presented himself as a paragon amidst the waves of destruction that followed in his footsteps.

She did not hate her teammate and benefactor. She understood the mechanic's pain. She knew very well what it felt like to wake up one day to discover that your parents were alive one second and dead the next.

However, heartbreak did not excuse stupidity. The man indirectly caused her so much suffering in her short life. He sold weapons to bidders who declared war, far too close to home. He built Ultron without stopping to think about the possible repercussions of a worldwide security system. He signed the Accords, which only broke apart her already-fractured team.

And now, he wanted to risk everything for a child that  _he_ recruited to fight their damned 'civil war'.

It was because of Stark that the boy was stuck with the Infinity Gauntlet, his mind slowly succumbing to the lull of absolute power.

"Tony means well. I know he does." Vision whispered softly as he applied a bandage to one of Wanda's scrapes.

Wanda scoffed. "Of course you knew exactly what I was thinking."

Sensing his lover's bitter resentment, the Vision took Wanda's head into a small cradle. He kissed the top of her head while Wanda hummed fondly.

"You know, the call of power from this Stone," Vis rubbed a thumb over the gem on his forehead. "It's alluring. It's seductive. I've found myself subconsciously yearning for more, many times before."

The witch frowned.

"But Peter Parker is just a boy. He's not like us, Vis. He's not even like Thanos."

Vision sighed. "Peter is the most heroic, pure-hearted boy I've ever seen. Mature for his age and receptive to others' emotions. When he grows up, he will be the best one out of all of us. I only wish to see it happen."

Horrified, the witch took Vision's face into her hands.

"We will not let Peter get to you, Vis. We can stop him. We will find a way."

Vision closed his eyes and smiled sadly.

"The Stone tells me otherwise, Wanda."


End file.
